


The Protector

by Catstealers (orphan_account)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Assassination Attempt(s), F/F, Friends to Lovers, Lesbian Character of Color, Minor Character Death, butch lesbian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 06:26:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11961606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Catstealers
Summary: Isabella Oliveira, beloved Princess of Navia, has never experienced a single hardship a day in her life, all thanks to the watchful eye of Bianca, the trained assassin sworn to protect her life. When there's an assassination attempt at the castle, difficult choices are made, forcing Isabella and Bianca to flee their home. Surviving outside the castle walls will prove disastrous for a spoiled princess and an assassin who learns you can't always protect those you love.





	1. The Market

“I think the princess is alone now. This is probably the only chance we’ll get.”

The thug turned to his left to look at his partner, an eyebrow raised in question. It was now or never and they both knew that. His buddy pulled his dagger out of its sheath with a confident grin on his face.

“Takin’ that little girl’s money will be as easy as takin’ candy from a baby,” the second thug said with a chuckle. His smile dropped as he thought about their situation further. He looked down over the rooftop they were standing on once again to really analyze the situation.

The princess was standing all alone, moving her arms about as she walked down the road, almost as if she were talking to someone. The only problem was that no one was there with her. The girl was completely alone.

“Do you think her guard dog could be close by?” The second thug asked his partner. 

They both visibly froze as a breathy laugh sounded from behind them. 

“She’s a lot closer than you both could have thought.”

The mysterious woman clapped both thugs on the shoulder as she laughed at them again. Before they could so much as turn around or even draw a weapon, she had them both by the backs of their necks. In an instant she slammed their heads together, knocking them unconscious.

She watched as their bodies slumped together with a sigh. Looking out over the market she saw their target, the princess. She was standing off to the side of the road and out of the way, clearly annoyed and waiting for someone. 

“Shit.”

\---

The princess looked up from the dirt she was kicking around with her foot with a look of annoyance.

“You’re not supposed to leave my side when we’re outside the castle, Bianca...What if someone tried to rob me or worse, put their dirty hands on me?!”

The princess pushed her short curly hair out of her eyes as she huffed, waiting for an explanation from her guard. 

Bianca’s eyes flitted up towards the rooftop she was just on with those men, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, as she lowered the hood of her assassin’s robes. “Heavens forbid some lowly commoner touch you! Whatever would we have done?” She exclaimed with a dramatic gasp that just made the Princess even angrier. 

“This isn’t funny,” the princess fired back. “Just wait until my parents hear about this.”

Bianca was surprised when the threat wasn’t followed by a foot stop. Maybe the princess didn’t want to make too much of a scene in public. It’s not like she wore the clothes designated to disguise her status like Bianca wanted her to, though, that was something she was used to by now when it came to the girl she was bound to protect. 

“Oh, sweet Isabella,” She purred the other girl’s name, watching her blush a pretty rose like she always did when the guard used the princess’s name instead of title. “So you’re going to admit to the King and Queen that you left the castle without their permission or letting any of the staff know? Penalizing me for stepping away for a few seconds is more important to you than the freedom you crave out here?”

Bianca extended her arms outward and waved them around to show the princess the freedoms she was referring to. And without waiting for a reply, she began walking towards the market, knowing the smaller girl would catch up.

It was only a second later before the princess’s curly head stood next to her shoulder, effortlessly falling in line with her. She smiled down at the other girl, but only received a huff in return. If she was honest, it was much more than she had expected. 

Instead of attempting conversation with the moody princess at her side she held her tongue and looked out towards the market. It was lively today, hundreds of people milling about preparing to sell their wares and buy enough goods to feed their families for the week. All around them were women flocking about with their babies wrapped to their chest and their purchases in baskets atop their heads. Passerbys commented to each other about seeing the princess up close. One woman even commented how she was “even more handsome up close”. Bianca knew very well that all of these comments were going straight to the royal girl’s head.

A little girl left her mother’s side to approach them carefully. She was clearly nervous, but was too awed by seeing the kingdom’s beloved princess up so close to back down. She stopped in front of them, forcing both of them to stop in their tracks. 

The girl was young - she was probably only about 5 years old. She wore a long, floral patterned dress with sandals on her feet and long, dark curly hair that framed her round face. This little girl was almost the spitting image of the princess when she was that age.

A lot changed in regards to the princess. When she was around 10, Isabella had come to the king and queen and declared she hated dresses. Bianca was coming upon her 13th birthday at the time and even though this occurred almost 10 years ago, she remembered the day like it was yesterday.

It was that same day that the king and queen had all of Isabella’s hair chopped off and had pants, shirts and jackets tailored for the young princess to wear from now on. The princess was always beautiful, but once she started to present herself in a way that made her feel more comfortable about not only herself, but also her place in the world, well that’s when Bianca really fell in love - at the young age of 13, when the girl she was born to protect became the most handsome girl she had ever seen. 

Bianca was taken out of her thoughts when the young princess look-a-like finally spoke. “Princesa! When I grow big I want to be just like you!” 

She had a wide, toothy grin on her face. Bianca chanced a glance to her companion and saw a similar smile reflected back. 

“Thank you for your kind words, sweet child. If you put your mind to it, anything is possible.”

Bianca almost laughed at the princess’s words. She was always so kind to the public, it’s why they all loved her. But as they continued walking, she wasn’t surprised at all as the princess muttered under her breath something about the young girl’s dirty hands almost touching her. 

“Don’t you worry, my sweet prince, I would never allow such filthy common hands to come into contact with you. If it were to ever happen, I expect my life shall be the cost.”

Isabella hid her face and grumbled, but Bianca was almost positive she saw a bright blush on the other girl’s cheeks. 

\---

They continued on through the market, stopping at some stands every now and then to purchase a few goods from the vendors. Most of the purchases were different foods that they both ate as they kept walking. It was a fun afternoon for the two of them, but Bianca could tell something was bothering the princess. She would normally wait for Isabella to come to her with whatever her concern was, but Bianca decided to chance it this time around. 

“Is something bothering you, Princesa?”

Isabella looked up from a piece of jewelry she was analyzing to look at her companion. 

“I don’t like being called a prince.” Her tone was soft, almost as if she were embarrassed. “I’m not a boy,” she paused to either think or collect herself, Bianca couldn’t tell which. “I’m a girl and I just...please don’t call me Prince again.” She looked up to Bianca, her big brown eyes filled with tears. 

It was a well known secret within the castle walls that the princess was a giant crybaby, something that Bianca had laughed at her for many times. This was clearly not the time to laugh; this wasn’t the princess being overdramatic.

“I’m sorry, Princesa, that was insensitive of me, though my intentions were not to upset you. You’ve never minded me or your parents calling you this before so I’m wondering if this has to do with the interaction you had with the Princess of Hidora?”

At the mention of the other princess, Isabella visibly bristled, dropped the amulet she had been looking at, and kept walking through the market, leaving the assassin behind. 

Bianca caught up easily enough and waited patiently for her companion to answer her question. About a week ago, the castle hosted three neighboring kingdoms for a small celebration. She never got the full story from the night, but apparently the Hidora princess was not too kind to her princess with regards to her appearance. 

They had exited the market and were on their way back to the castle when Isabella finally spoke again in such a soft voice Bianca almost didn’t hear her. “She called me disgusting. She said,” She took a big breath of air into her lungs to prepare for her next words. “umm, she said that only men dress the way I do and style their hair like mine. A-and when I told her that I was a woman and that she was clearly wrong, she said my denial just made it worse.”

Bianca turned around to see Isabella had stopped walking. She stood a few feet behind, looking down with her fists clenched. When she finally looked up at Bianca there were big tears in her eyes just threatening to run down her cheeks. Bianca began walking back towards Isabella, hoping to catch those tears before they could fall.

“Do you think I’m disgusting?”

The question broke Bianca’s heart, but the tears that cascaded down the princess’s beautiful russet brown cheeks just crushed her even more. She rushed the few steps remaining and cupped the other girl’s face, wiping the tears away as they fell.

“My perfect, wonderful princess, nothing, and I mean this, nothing about you is disgusting. I may be biased, but you are the most handsome girl in all the kingdoms far and wide and not disgusting at all.”

The tears had stopped and a small smile was on the princess’s face, much to Bianca’s relief. Now that she really thought about the situation she was in, she felt a little silly. If her family from the assassin’s guild could see her now, softly embracing the girl she was sworn to protect from the shadows, she’d be ridiculed. But at this moment, she couldn’t care less. The girl she cared about more than anyone else in this world was hurt and it was her responsibility to tend to her wounds, even those of the heart. 

“Thank you, Bianca.” The princess smiled up at her protector. “I hope to one day meet a woman to marry as kind and thoughtful as you.” 

And there it was, the crushing blow. That wasn’t the first time Isabella had said the same exact thing to her. It was another terrible reminder that they would never be together. The assassin smiled through it, though, for the princess’s sake. No sense in bringing up something as pointless as the two of them finding love with each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been months and I'm so sorry! I was hit with random inspiration to write for these two today, though, so please do enjoy!!

The walk back to the castle had been mostly silent, neither party really knowing what to say. The atmosphere felt almost awkward between the two of them which was something they hadn’t felt in years. In fact, Isabella couldn’t remember the last time an awkward silence hung between them. It was possible that the awkwardness was just all in her head, but she liked to think after all of these years, she could read her friend rather well. 

Isabella turned to Bianca, ready to apologize for something - anything - to make her friend not act the way she was. Was it something she had said or done? It must have been because the taller girl was almost dragging her feet back to the castle, very much unlike the light and airy footsteps she was used to. Bianca kicked a pebble almost like a child would, aggravating Isabella; compassion turned to anger quickly. 

“If you’re going to act like a child then you might as well do it from your normal post and not next to me. I shouldn’t have to be subjected to this petulant behavior.” The princess huffed. She saw the hurt on Bianca’s face clear as day for a millisecond before her stony mask was back. The only response Isabella was given was Bianca turning to scale the home next to them. The princess gave her friend a few seconds before she started walking the short remaining distance to the castle. 

~***~

Marisol, Isabella’s lady-in-waiting, was on her as soon as she set foot on castle grounds. She flitted around her like a loud and annoying bird, asking her questions of where she’d been and what she’d been up to. Isabella didn’t answer any of them and continued en route to her chambers. This didn’t stop Marisol from pestering her in the slightest, but the young princess had always been quite stubborn.

As they reached the princess’s chambers, Marisol had quieted down. She stepped inside first and picked out evening wear for supper as Isabella closed the door behind her and collapsed on her bed. She watched Marisol as she elegantly moved about the room to pick out her clothes. The woman was taller than her, as most people were. She had the body of a dancer - long legs, thin frame, and all of her movements held a level of fluidity you didn’t see often. Her chestnut hair framed her thin face beautifully, laying right above where her shoulders met her smooth neck. 

Isabella was snapped out of her thoughts by a red faced Marisol. “It embarrasses me quite a bit when you look upon me like that, Your Highness,” Marisol squaked. Instead of apologizing, Isabella just flopped backwards to look at the ceiling instead. After a brief pause she heard the woman resume her tasks. A beat later she spoke.

“I think Bianca is upset with me.” The princess admitted without looking at the woman she addressed. The first answer she heard was a sigh, causing her to roll her eyes. She felt the bed dip to her right and rolled in the opposite direction, not wanting Marisol to see her face as they spoke.

She felt the older woman place a gentle hand on her back and rub the area softly. Isabella closed her eyes as she let the comforting sensation envelope her. She closed in on herself as she attempted to steady her breathing. Crying was much too embarrassing.

“What did you do now?” Came the soft reply. 

Isabella’s eyes shot open comically wide as she jumped out of bed. “Why are you assuming I did something wrong?” The princess asked incredulously. Marisol rolled her eyes and then blushed at her own unprofessionalism. “Forgive me for being presumptuous, but you did just say Lady Bianca was upset with you. It sort of implies you did something to cause that.” She chided gently.

Isabella deflated and sat back down on her bed. She had been acting silly and was able to recognize her behavior as such. “I honestly don’t know what happened.” And with that she retold the events to her lady-in-waiting, hoping for some sort of answer.

It seemed as though Marisol listened attentively, but she could see the corners of the woman’s lips subtly lift every now and then. Isabella chose to ignore it, though she hated the very idea of being laughed at by a woman beneath her. Once she had finished recounting the events of the day, the princess got up to begin changing clothes for supper. 

As Isabella began stripping herself of her clothes she noticed Marisol look away out of respect. She didn’t care too much if the woman was looking or not since she’d seen her naked plenty of times now. She tried not to seem impatient while she waited for Marisol to give advice about Bianca, but she knew full well that her bouncing could easily be perceived as the impatience it was. The princess turned as she was finally answered.

“Maybe she was just thinking. You both did talk about a lot it seems on your little adventure.”

Isabella took the moment to remove her shirt, standing in nothing but her undergarments. She knew there was more to Bianca’s behavior than just thinking and that was because Bianca didn’t think. Well, of course she  _ thought.  _ Everyone did. She was just so tactical and so intelligent that Isabella refused to think of her brain on the same level of a normal human being. 

Instead of continuing the conversation she decided to just drop it. She knew they wouldn’t get anywhere. Maybe she’d mention it to Bianca on their nightly stroll. But if she mentioned it then Bianca would know she was thinking about her. Isabella huffed to herself in frustration. How was she supposed to ask Bianca what was wrong without making it seem like she cared?

She jumped slightly as she felt Marisol right behind her, grasping her chest bindings lightly. “Would you like my assistance changing these before supper?” She asked with a slight blush on her pretty pale cheeks. Isabella nodded and let the woman unravel the bindings before walking to the chest next to her bed to grab more cloth to bind with. Isabella raised her arms as Marisol returned so the woman could continue. 

Once she was wrapped up she moved to the mirror. “Too tight?” Came the breathy question behind her. The princess shook her head before putting her undershirt on. It was just a crisp white shirt that she tucked into her formal black pants. She turned sideways to look at the way her chest was flattened and frowned. She sometimes wished her chest could appear flatter, but she knew tightening her bindings any further would just be uncomfortable. She caught Marisol’s eyes in the mirror and nodded. The woman behind her stepped back towards the bed and waited for Isabella to continue dressing.

~***~

Isabella stepped into the dining hall and tried not to drool at the delicious scents wafting in from the kitchen. She went to take her preferred seat as the chair was moved out for her. Once she was seated she looked around. Her parents weren’t here yet but Bianca, her father, and her brother were. Bianca's father was the head of their families guild and her younger brother was just beginning his apprenticeship under their father. They were talking quietly in the corner about something that seemed important. It almost looked to be an argument, but Bianca’s family was always very good at schooling their emotions. 

Bianca must have felt eyes on her as she looked over towards Isabella. They maintained eye contact for what felt like hours before the doors opened announcing her parents. She stood up slowly as they approached the table. Once her mother was seated, her and her father quickly followed suit. 

“How was your day, Darl-” her mother started before being interrupted by her father.

“It’s come to my attention you went on an unplanned adventure today outside of these walls.”

Isabella glared up at her father. Their food hadn’t even arrived yet! She tried for nonchalance. “Correct, Bianca and I took a trip to the market today. It’s important for the people to see their princess.” She stated matter of factly. She looked up at her father to see him quietly fuming as her mother looked at her with worry. She couldn’t decide which was worse. She looked back to her father as he spoke.

“It’s much more important for the princess to be safe. You can’t just go gallivanting in the street whenever you feel like it.” His voice was beginning to rise, making her mother look on worried. Before Isabella could respond he was starting again. “Just because the Lornós guild is sworn to us does not mean you need to throw yourself in harms way. Use your head for once!” He slammed his fist on the table causing both women at the table to jump. Isabella looked to her left to see Bianca being held back by her father. In her own anger she stood up, her chair skidding backwards behind her.

“I just realized I’m not hungry. I will be in my chambers if you need me.” She responded curtly. Her father saw red at the disrespect shown to him. She turned her back to him and began walking towards the exit, Bianca quickly moving behind her to escort her safely back.

The last thing the princess heard as the doors closed behind her made her chest constrict.

“You may think that girl is indestructible but she is not. One day she won’t be able to protect you!”


End file.
